US raises concerns over restrictions on freedom of press in Pakistan

The United States expressed concerns over the freedom of journalists in Pakistan after the country denied entry to Steven Butler, the head of Committee to Protect Journalists' (CPJ) on October 18. A border officer at Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore told Butler that his visa was valid. However, they also said that he could not enter Pakistan as his name was on the stop list of the Interior Ministry. The Acting Assistant Secretary of Bureau of South and Asian Affairs, Alice Wells had said yesterday that she 'urged Pakistan to reconsider' their decision.

She tweeted on the official Twitter account of State SCA saying, “Refusing entry to the coordinator of a press freedom program w/ a valid visa increases concerns about restrictions on journalists in Pak. A free & independent media is indispensable to any democracy, and we urge Pakistan to reconsider this decision”.

Read - Bilawal Bhutto Announces Countrywide Anti-Govt Protests In Pakistan

Forced to go back to the US

Moreover, the airport authorities confiscated Butler's passport and then forced him to take a flight to Doha where the authorities later placed him on a flight to Washington. Butler also communicated with other CPJ officials confessing that he was in restricted custody because the flight crew had his passport and boarding pass. According to CPJ executive director, Joel Simon, the move by Pakistan authorities is a “slap in the face” for the journalists who are concerned about the freedom of the press in the country. 

Read - China Wants India And Pakistan To Join Hands, Says Chinese Envoy

'Explain their actions'

Butler was traveling to Pakistan to attend the Asma Jahangir Conference-Roadmap for Human Rights in Pakistan. Simon also believes that the authorities should give a valid explanation of their actions to bar Butler from entering the country. Moreover, they should correct the move. Islamabad had ranked 142 in Reporters Without Borders' Press Freedom Index in 2019 which was 139 in 2018. Reportedly, Pakistani journalists also held a country-wide protest against the brutality faced by a local reporter who was beaten up by the police authorities in the country. 

Read - Man Sentenced For Blasphemy In Pakistan Under New Cyber Crime Law

Read - Pakistan Silences Army’s Critics With Raids, Terror Charges

(With ANI inputs)